MAGAZINE

#213 – March

Top 30 Women in the Language Industry

In honor of Women’s History Month, we highligth 30 ladies of the language industry. After a public vote, these 30 came most highly recommended by their peers — and some family.

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POSTEDITING

I

am a woman. Yet I have never strongly identified with other women. In elementary school, I didn’t share most interests with the girls, and the boys teased me for being different. But I was a happy, energetic, and confident child. One day, when I was about 8, I proudly rode to school on a turquoise and purple mountain bike that my dad had custom built with a tyrannosaurus rex glued onto the front fender. Several kids crowded around and taunted me because it had a men’s frame. Someone hollered, “Marjolein wants to be a boy!” I dropped my head and pushed through the semicircle of bullies, embarrassed about something I didn’t quite understand. This was my introduction to gender roles and that they were becoming increasingly important at that age.

My best friend was my older brother, and we did everything together. The bike incident had made me wonder: Did I want to be a boy? I had no reason to be unhappy as a girl. But the more I thought about it, the more appealing it was. In the Christian farm village of my childhood, life was less restrictive for boys and girls were uniformly girly — encouraged to ride ponies and mother baby dolls. Meanwhile, my favorite activities were climbing trees, playing spy games, and ripping the limbs off Barbies. Except the one with a leather outfit and a pink motorcycle — she was cool. My parents let me express myself in my own ways, giving me the Zorro costume I had asked for on my birthday. Yet that boy’s simple accusation in the bike stand threw me into deep insecurity and awareness of gender identity.

Perhaps if I was a boy, I began to think, I could connect better with the other boys? Maybe it was worth a shot? I was strong, wiry, and flat-chested well into my teens, and wore my brother’s old clothes. In private and in front of a mirror, I put socks in my pants to see if that would complete the transition. But I was still a girl. Not long after that, most parents decided that boys and girls couldn’t play together anymore, and I became more isolated. I didn’t feel any pressure to publicly declare my gender during that confusing time in my preteens, and that left me to explore and consider the meaning of gender without scrutiny or pressure to make up my mind. In the ‘90s we pushed not to be labeled — and we didn’t label ourselves.

In adolescence, I went through multiple sexual assault experiences and was constantly suppressed in my professional ambitions. This made me feel insecure about my body, my capabilities, and my worthiness of my dreams. In the end, there were women as well as men who gave me the courage and opportunity to step up to the position I am in today, and I am grateful to all of them. Some women in this issue also make room to acknowledge support from their fathers, male friends, and coworkers. Even when we take time to focus on our community of women, it’s crucial not to alienate the men in our lives. The battle of the sexes can only be overcome through mutual acceptance and love.

Do I want to be a man today? Even in 2023 it would be easier in so many ways. But I enjoy a good challenge, and the stories in this issue are beautiful, vulnerable, and inspiring; and I am thrilled to support them as a woman. Let us continue to find strength and encouragement through the many experiences shared in these pages.

I realize there is an inherent contradiction in creating a list of just women in a time where gender can be individual, fluid, and unique, but it’s equally important to create opportunities for a historically marginalized group to be applauded and cheered on. I’d like to compliment those brave enough to stand with their identity and encourage those still on a journey to find comfort with theirs.

As for me, I’ve found peace being a boyish woman, whatever that means. Some people still choose to label me without invitation, perhaps to appear open-minded and accepting. I guess they’re not always wrong, but I’m happy going through life just as Marjolein, the slightly odd and masculine lady without a label that may or may not change again. And I still like to climb trees on occasion.  

Marjolein Groot Nibbelink

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FEATURE

Top 30 Women in the Language Industry

Curated by Marjolein Groot Nibbelink

According to Zippia, 60.6% of translators are women, and 39.4% of translators are men. At the same time, press releases and public debate in our industry are often led by — and conducted around — men. There’s nothing wrong with highlighting influential and good men, of course, but we feel it’s not only sensible but even necessary to create a space to put some amazing women in the spotlight, supported by the greater language industry community. In total, 236 women agreed to be included in the vote, every nominee received at least four votes, and the final results were not far apart. All who were nominated and did not make the cut will be included in the 2024 vote.

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EXPERIENCE

Thriving as a Woman in Tech

By Mimi Hills

All too often, women in the technology industry struggle to get the recognition they deserve. Throughout her career, Mimi Hills has seen her fair share of bias in the industry — in her latest for MultiLingual, she shares ten tips for women looking to pave their way to success in the industry.

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You Are Not Alone

By Gabriela Kouahla

In this piece — presented as a series of journal entries — Gabriela Kouahla, founder of Beyond Words Creative, tells the tale of her career and the women along the way who supported her in her efforts to establish herself in the industry, eventually culminating in her founding of Algeria’s first localization agency.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

Erin Wynn: Leading through example

Supported by Welocalize

In this year’s Women’s History Month special, Welocalize had a grand total of four employees make the top 30 — in this interview with MultiLingual, the company’s chief customer officer Erin Wynn talks a bit about the company’s efforts to spearhead DEI and the women she works with every day.

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Amanda Newton: The art of solutions

Supported by RWS

Last June, Amanda Newton was promoted to ead RWS’ Strategic Solutions Group as executive vice president. In this interview with MultiLingual, Newton talks about her new role and recaps some of the moments throughout her career that led her to this position.

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COLUMNS

Antiquated Premiere

By Tim Brookes

Inspired by the narration and closed captions of a soccer game played between the US Women’s National Team and New Zealand, Tim Brookes takes a look at word games and writing exercises throughout the ages in the latest installment of his column “The Red List.”

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Linguistic Validation

By Mark Shriner

In the latest installment of his life sciences-focused column “The Lab,” Mark Shriner takes a deep dive into the topic of linguistic validation (LV) to get an understanding of what it is, when and why it’s required, and what are some of the related challenges.

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